CNN Series “The 90s’” Starts With TV Lookback – If It Airs

CNN is continuing its set of decade rewinds with a new series called “The 90s.” The first episode – which is a 2-hour debut - is scheduled to air Sunday night at 9 PM, with a repeat at 11. The first part centres on television shows in the 90's, including classics like "Seinfeld."

So far, CNN, in an effort to broaden its audience, has presented the Tom Hanks-produced series on the 60s, 70s and 80s. This is the next step. The show is supposedly followed next week by new episodes of “The History of Comedy,” with the first part dealing with the tricky issue of racial humour.

I say “supposedly” in that last sentence because CNN has a history of scheduling these shows and then never actually airing them. I never did see the entire “70’s” series because of apparent ‘breaking news.’ Anyone remember “Soundtracks,” which was supposed to examine how contemporary music related to world events? I think they showed all of two episodes of that before it disappeared entirely, seemingly never to be seen (or heard) again.

The reason for all the preemptions can be found in two words: “Donald Trump.” Whether you love him or hate him, ever since he came on the scene, CNN has continually interrupted all their scheduled non-news documentaries mentioned above to cover anything and everything he does. If he sneezes, they do a four-hour special. If he wears a shorter tie, that’s good for 18 hours of negative commentary. Worse yet, they then reroll the same “Breaking News” after midnight, thus preventing them from showing the documentary specials at all.

It appears they’ve decided bashing Trump is better for ratings than the money they spent on these programs. So while “The 90’s” sounds promising, be prepared to never see much of it. For those who are interested, it’s supposed to air at 9 o’clock, with a few secondary showings throughout the week. But be aware that given CNN’s obsession with all things Trump, you may not actually see it until the next 90s - in 2090.